Love Thy Neighbor - by Dad

Let us tell you what real love and concern and neighborliness is all about.

Last week Denny and Donna Sheets (Adams and Marshall neighbors) came by to see La Donna. We always appreciate their visits … they are such genuine people.

Poppo decided he wanted to “show off” Mommo’s progress. So he got her up on her hemiwalker (see photo courtesy of Mike Delladio) and exhibited her walking across the room with minimal assistance. She is walking now with only occasional help to keep her in balance when the weak right side doesn’t want to do its thing.

As they walked along together in front of Donna Sheets, Poppo looked over to see the broadest grin overcoming Donna’s face. But that was not the best of it. He saw tears of joy and gratitude swelling up in her eyes.

For neighbors to be so glad for her measure of recovery that they would be moved to tears … that is what real love and concern and neighborliness is all about.

And when they attended worship at Castleton United Methodist Church Sunday, Denny and Donna were the first to race across the sanctuary to greet them. They never got rich serving in the ministry, but nevertheless they are millionaires. Wonderful friends like this cannot be bought with money. But they are some of the most priceless possessions a family can have. Thank God for neighbors and friends like this.

Mom: 101 Things Stroke Didn't Take from You

1. Your family
2. 58 years of marriage
3. Your home
4. Your love of music
5. Your ability to make us smile
6. Holidays with your family
7. Your purpose for living
8. Your noble character
9. Dad’s 100% confidence in YOU
10. Your hard work ethic
11. Your church
12. Your intelligence
13. Grandchildren who love you
14. Your ability to give godly advice
15. Your ability to pray
16. Your faith
17. Companionship with Dad
18. Shopping with Audi
19. Dinner plans with Jack and Betty
20. Friends who love you
21. Your ability to inspire
22. God’s plans for you
23. Your decorating ability
24. Singing hymns
25. Living in the USA
26. Reciting the Lord’s prayer
27. Memories of dating Dad
28. Family dinners
29. Back seat driving
30. Neighborhood get togethers
31. Mother’s intuition
32. God’s word in your heart
33. Your beauty
34. Your children’s thankfulness that you’re here
35. Communion with God
36. Snuggling with Dad
37. Daily phone calls with your kids
38. Visits by the Granddogs
39. Being pretty
40. Peace in the storm
41. Years of serving
42. God’s ability to comfort you
43. Spring weather
44. Days on the screened in porch with dad
45. Coffee and toast in the morning
46. Abundance of food
47. Your beautiful blue eyes
48. Your smile
49. Your humility
50. Your ability to discern
51. Forgiveness
52. Evenings with Dad
53. Freedom to worship
54. Church on Sunday mornings
55. Opportunities to witness
56. Afternoon naps
57. Quiet evenings
58. Your wisdom
59. Wealth of friends and family
60. Your cheerful heart
61. Your positive attitude
62. Your onery son-in-laws
63. Love that covers all wrongs
64. Joy in the morning
65. Memories of a Hawaiian vacation
66. God’s faithfulness
67. Victory over the grave
68. A song in your heart
69. Dad’s loving protection
70. Daily phone calls from your girls
71. More time with Dad so he doesn’t have to be alone
72. Your giving nature
73. All the lives you’ve affected
74. Hundreds of lives changed through Divorce Recovery
75. Ears that hear and eyes that see
76. The gift of salvation
77. Courage to continue on
78. Our united family
79. Peace that transcends all understanding
80. Gift of God’s son, Jesus
81. Eternal life
82. Victory over the adversary
83. 79 years of magnificence
84. Undying love
85. Motivation to recover
86. God’s amazing creations
87. Majesty and glory of God
88. Constant hope
89. Deep faith
90. Your heart for God
91. Patience while suffering
92. Your children’s honor and love for you
93. Grace for the moment
94. Your deep love for others
95. Your hospitality toward others
96. Your value in our world
97. Your value in God’s eyes
98. God’s ability to work in your life
99. Safety and security in God
100. All of God’s promises
101. Your heavenly home

Mom Update

We've had a good week. Mom has been busy this week with therapy and guests. She's had friends in for lunch, she's been to dinner at the church, and she came to my (Audi) church today @ Castleton United Methodist Church. You don't know how blessed I felt to see my sweet "mama" sitting in the congregation as I sat in the choir. It was also wonderful for all my friends who have prayed our family through Mom's illness to see how God has worked in our lives. Today, several times people asked "How's your Mom?" and I was tickled to respond, "She's here!"

Mom's getting around on her feet a bit more. Instead of rolling from here to there in her wheel chair, she's starting to walk here and there. On Friday when she walked with me, I did NOTHING except stand by for an occasional "balance check." She stood at the sink and washed a pan, stacked up clean dishes, and did her usual "straightening up" of things. Mom likes to have things straight and organized.

Dad is a gem. I can only pray that my husband will love me half as much as Dad loves Mom in 30 more years! If he does, I'll be one lucky woman! Dad's main struggle is wanting to do too much for Mom. The physical therapist explained to him Friday that instead of helping her so much, he'd be helping her more to let her do more by herself. "But I've always protected her and taken care of her!" he exclaimed. This will be a different way of taking care of her.

Along with the hope of Spring, we continue to have hope that God will continue doing great things in Mom's life. We keep praying and giving thanks for all that He's done so far!

SuperBowl Returns!

Hi Friends! We have an abundance of tupperware, really nice pie plates, casserole bowls, etc. that are looking for their true homes! We can't remember where they all belong, thanks to your overwhelming generosity and goodness.

Please use coming to get your bowls as an excuse to drop in and sit awhile for a visit. Mom and Dad are usually home and would love to see your smiling faces AND return your bowls.

Easter, this year, was especially good for the Chamberlin Family. We had a few empty chairs that we wished could have been filled (Dustin and Garrett in Iraq - Duane and family in Florida - Monte's family fighting a bug) but our "Momma's" chair wasn't empty! And for that, we were truly grateful!

Our family is blessed...and even though times are a little harder now than before, we are still Easter People! We have so much to be thankful for and will do our best to remember that!

Hope your Easter was full of hope and joy...

Audi

Perfection...

Wow...it's been almost a week since my last post! Perhaps that is an indication that life is getting a little bit back to normal or that life is crazy busy. Probably a little bit of both.

Mom continues to get better. Last weekend, I took her out for our first mom/daughter outing. We went to JCPenney and managed to spend a bunch of money! It was great to have someone to shop with again. (I hate shopping and I hate shopping alone even more!) After getting Chinese for lunch and home to work on some errands, we were both pooped and ready to retire for the night. So much, that we canceled our dinner plans with each other!

Mom has started back to church and has done a few lunches as well. We still look forward to Mom being able to walk around and be more independent physically. She does not like her present physical status. (Can't say I blame her!) On Monday, the doctor had lots of good encouraging comments - indicating that he expected her to do very well along those lines. The message was to "keep on". The road is long and hard but she can do it.

This week is Holy Week and no one knows better about long and hard roads as does our Jesus. I cannot even imagine the dread He was feeling on the night of that last supper or in the Garden of Gethsemane. But He knew the rest of the story and now we know the rest of the story. That gives us hope...

Well, the one thing we can be sure of: God's love is not a pampering love; it's a perfecting love (James McDonald). Even my precious, sweet little Mama has a little perfecting that God can do in her. My guess is that God is working in her and all of us throughout this journey. So, as usual, I just pray that we can all open our hearts to what God would like to do in us amidst the trials of life whether big or small.

Here's hoping you experience the deep, deep perfecting love that God has for you during this Holy Week...

Love, Audi

Making Plans...

Hi Friends...We continue on our journey with Mom. Each week she continues to show progress and we have hope of better things to come.

I think this has been a hard week for Mom. She's getting bored. You know how Mom was before her stroke (always on the go)...always cooking a meal and having someone in for dinner, visiting people who were "shut-ins" and being a Stephen Minister, going to Quilting and to breakfast with her friends on Thursday mornings. All this has changed and I think she's had her fill of "just sitting around" between therapy appointments!

This week she has shown more movement in her arm as she lifted it up over the arm rest of her wheelchair! Whew! That looked hard, but she did it! She's still walking in PT and today she walked with me as well. She also did some laundry with just a little stand-by assistance. Tomorrow, we're going to JC Penneys to see how much money we can spend!

Okay -- now here's our call for help! So many of you have said, "What can we do to help?" Well, things are starting to pile up at home for Dad. He needs to run errands...go to the grocery...post office...license branch...oh yes, let's not forget FRY'S ELECTRONICS! Would anyone like to come visit with mom for 2 1/2 hours or so during the day sometime? I told him I'd try to set up a schedule.

If you're interested, please either email me at audicathcart@sbcglobal.net or call me at 332-4158.

Now...I want to thank everyone AGAIN for all of their prayers, cards, calls, visits, and meals! Mom/Dad have been so well cared for. The food has been wonderful. Your visits break up the day. Most of all, there is no question that they are loved.

If one falls down, his friend can help him up.

But pity the one who falls and has no one to help him up!

Ecclesiastes 4:10

Thanks for helping Mom/Dad get back on their feet! Lots of love -- Audi

Beautiful Weather!

Wow...today it looked like Spring in Indianapolis. As a result, Dad took Mom on a stroll through the neighborhood. I know it must have felt good to breathe in some of that good, fresh air!

Mom continues her therapy schedule and is gradually adding the "normalcies of life" back in. She's started making more phone calls and got a perm Monday (thanks to Virginia). She looks like a million bucks! More later...

A Picture of Hope

Hi Friends! I'm all snowed in and snuggled up in my friend's house in Kentucky and when I called Dad to check in, he was so excited at the newest development: Mom started pinching her fingers together! This picture is of her Occupational Therapist (OT) working that hand!

Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees! (Hebrews 12:12). God not only loves us and disciplines us, but he also is a demanding coach who pushes us to our limits and requires us to work! Sometimes he sends us coaches like Carolyn, Mom's OT, who helps facilitate our work when we may not feel strong enough to push on to victory!

As a result, we feel hope and and a growing strength to move on! Mom could respond to hardship in several ways. She could accept it with resignation, self-pity, or with anger or resentment. But, she has chosen to accept her hardship in faith and with hard work and discipline. What a picture of hope that paints for us all!

Did you Pray?

Just a couple of days ago I mentioned that Mom needed prayers for her spirits and wham! She's had a couple of great days! Have you been praying? If so, thank you!

Today, her Occupational Therapist came and Mom reported that she had a "great day" yesterday. Mom seemed to be in good spirits.

Speaking of the Occupational Therapist - we really hit it off! We take a similar approach to rehab and we were both tickled to meet each other and to find that we are "on the same page" when it comes to Mom's rehab. We are always thankful for the people that God puts in our lives that give us hope and motivation.

It's late...I'll write more later. Hope you all stay safe and warm...sounds like a winter storm is on it's way!

Much love...Audi

We Continue On...

Hi Friends...

Mom's home health therapists have all been out to see her and it looks like her therapy is in motion. It's not as rigorous as when she was at Riverview. I don' t know if she likes that or not. She certainly wishes her progress were a bit swifter. She tries to say everything now and with the increased complexity comes a little more difficulty. She thinks her talking is worse. I don't think it is...she's just attempting to say so much more!

Fishers UMC has taken over the meals this week. Thanks to Whispering Woods (Mom/Dad's friends in the subdivision) for taking them food last week... Wow! You guys are good in the kitchen! I was lucky enough to sample some of the food.

Well, please just pray that Mom will find joy in living and that she will recognize what a BLESSING she is to all of us. Dad is so tickled to have her home. I'm so thankful that I can bounce over for lunch or after school. We all are thanking God that we still have our Mom to lend a listening ear, laugh with, and enjoy her presence. Right now, life is more of a struggle for her but I'm hoping that soon it will be a little easier. It certainly is a "new normal" that we are adjusting to.

Again, thanks for your prayers! I thank God for all of you. Much love... Audi

Mom Accompanying the Trombone Trio

Hi Friends...This is an experiment! How many years ago (was it Dad?) that you and Gig had the trombone trio? Well, it's actually a good love story because it's how my mom/dad met. Mom was asked to play the piano for them and Dad was in the trio and well, the rest is history. Anyway, here's an old recording of them playing God of our fathers. Go to the link on the right. It will take you to http://www.esnips.com/web/GodofOurFathers . After you get there, scroll down to "files" and click on the little picture titled "God of our Fathers". They were really good! I hope it works and enjoy the show! --- Audi

Dictated by Mom -- Typed by Audi

Hi Everybody. This is to say THANK YOU for your prayers and concerns. Thank you for the cards and the considerations. Also, thank you for the food. I love you all. Love, LaDonna